Planoorapm co



I. A. BRANTLEY.

PROPELHNG MECHANISM FOR VEHICLES. APPLICAHOII man nus/a1. me.

a SHEETS-SHEET l.

1,312,828. Pabentedmlg. 12,1919.

Ixa-al' I x w Lug 33m an,

I. A. BRANTLEY.

rnomuns MECHANISM FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-3|. I91

Patented Aug. 12, 1919. 5 SJIEETS-SNEET 2.

UIAIIIA FLA WASHINI'ITON, n. c.

V 1. A. BRANTLEY. PROPELLING MECHANlSM FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION HLED AUGJI. l9l8.

Patented Aug. 12,1919.

6 SHEETS-SHE T 3.

J. A. BRANTLEY.

PROPELLING MECHANISM FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION men mean. ma.

Patented Aug. 12, 1919.

1:312!828' a sazns-smin 4 n 3 N v Q E J. A. BRANTLEY.

raomum: MECHANISM FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION F|LD MIGJH, I918. 1 ,3 1 2,828. Patented Aug. 12,1919.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

a 1 W W 3. A. BRANTLEY.

iROPELLING MECHANISM FOR VEHICLES.

Arrucmou FILED numal. 191a.

JAMES A. BRANTLEY, 0F SPRINGS, OKLAHOMA.

PROPELLING MECHAN FOR VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 12, 1919.

Original application filed. February 3, 1917, Serial No. 146,414.Divided and this application filed August 81, 1918. Serial No. 252,195.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMEs A. BRAnTLEY, citizen of the United States,residmg at Sand Springs, in the county of Tulsa and State of Oklahoma,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Propelhn Mechanismfor Vehicles, of which the fo lowing is a specification.

The present invention relates to propelling mechanism for vehicles, and1s particularly adapted for driving mining machlnes, while notnecessarily restricted to this use.

An important obJect of the invention is to provide means of the abovementioned character, which is adapted to drive the vehicle at differentspeeds, and also to steer the same in different directions.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will beapparent during thecourse of the following description.

' The subject matter of the present invention is shown and described inmy co-pending application for, mining machines, filed February 3, 1917,Serial No. 146,414, of which the present application is a divlslon.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, andin which like numerals are employed to designate like part-s throughoutthe same,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machlne constituting the bestpractical embodiment of my invention that I have et devised.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged rear e ovation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a detail plan view with the top of the casing body removed.

Figs. 4 and 5 are detail longitudlnal vertical sections taken in theplanes indicated by lines 4-4 and 5-5 respectively, of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross-section on line '66 of Fig. 3. i

Figs. 7 and 8 are details hereinafterspecifically referred to.

Fig. 9 ,is a fragmentary cross-sect on through the forward portion ofthe cas ng bod 1 1 A Figs. 10, 11 and 12 are detailed sections; Figs. 10and 11 being taken on the lines 105-10 and 11-11 respectively, ofFig. 8.

Similar. numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all ofthe views of the drawings.

Among other elements my novelmachme comprises a casing-like .body 1which in common with the remainder of the machine is preferablyconstructed of steel or of metal compatible with its purpose.

Suitably supported and secured in the body 1 is an electric motor 2which is the type of motor I prefer to employ.

I would have it understood, however, that in lieu of an electric motor,an internal combustion engine or any other kind of motor may be employedwithout involving departure from the scope of m invention as defined inmy appended clalms.

In the present embodiment of the inven-- tion the motor 2 is suppliedwith current through the trailing wires 3, Figs. 4 and 5, and the otherappurtenances common to electric motors, which appurtenances are carriedby the body 1 but need not be described in detail.

The armature shaft 4 of the motor extends forwardly from the remainderthereof, in the longitudinal center of the machine, and interposedbetween said shaft 4 and a. shaft 5 which extends through the forwardwall of body 1 and carries a pinion 6, is a clutch 7. This clutch 7 maybe of any suitable construction, and is designed to be operated by alever 8 located at the back of the body 1 through a connection which perse forms no art of my invention and is therefore not il ustrated. Thebevel gear 6 is employed to drive cutting means 6' of any well known orpreferred construction.

On the armature shaft 4 of the motor is a worm 9, and intermeshed withand driven by said worm 9 is a worm-wheel 10, fixed on a transverseshaft 11, extendin between and journaled in the side walls 0 the body 1.Mounted to slide on and turn with said shaft 11, at opposite sides ofthe worm-wheel 10, are combined friction and spur gears 12. These gears12 respectively comprise a soft steel hub 13, (Fig. 12) feathered on theshaft 11, a central steel disk 14 loosely though snugly mounted on thehub 13 and having peripheral teeth 15, friction sections 16, of paper orfiber, loosely mounted on the hub 13 at opposite sides of the disk 14and arranged with their smooth perimeters flush with the bottoms of theinterdental spaces in the disk 14, and a nut 17 threaded on the hub 13and adapted to tighten the disk 14 and the sections 16 against a flangeon the hub. In the outer portions of the hubs 13 of the compound gears12 are circumferential grooves in which are sectional rings l7 havingstuds 17" disposed in upright bifurcated levers 18 through the medium ofWhich the compound cars 12 are moved horizontally on the shaft. Each ofthe gears 12 is arran ed bi .k of and opposed to an inclined stce disk20, and each disk 20 is provided in its face with three (more or less)circular series of indcntures 21; the indentures of each series beingspaced to receive the teeth 15 of the gears 12. The disks 20 arefeathered on forwardly and downwardly inclined shafts 22, which arejournaled in bearings 23, 24, in body 1 and are equipped with worms 25.The said worms 25 are intermcshed with worm-wheels 26, fixed on shafts27 on which are also fixed the exterior drive and traveling wheels 28 ofthe machine.

In front of the disks 20 is a transverse shaft 30 on which is fixed anarm 31 to which is connected a rearwardly extending rod This rod 32 iscarried through the rear wall of the body 1, and is connected exteriorlyof'the body to a lever 33 at the rear end of body 1 which lever isdesigned to be actuated to move the disks 20 toward and from thecompound gears 12. Any suitable means (not shown) may be employed toadjustably fix the lever 33 if such provision is deemed expedient. 7

Also fixed on the shaft 30 are arms 35. Connected with these arms 35,preferably in an adjustable manner, are yo e levers 36, and mounted at31 in said yoke levers are studs on sectional rings 38 which aredisposed in circumferential grooves 39 in steel members 40 loose on theshafts 22 and arranged back of the hubs on the disks 20. Between each ofthe said members 40 and each of the disk hubs are interposed a steelrace annulus 41 and a steel ring 42 in which are anti-friction balls43,interposed between the member 440* and the annulus 41 and adapted tolessen the friction when the disk 20 is thrust against its complementarycar 12. For the purpose of enabling each ever 36 to pull its respectivedisk 20 away from the cooperating gear 12, links 44 are pivoted to thesides of each lever 38, The rear portions of said links 44 receive pins4'5 on a sectional ring 46 dis osed in the circumferential groove e7 oft e disk hub. It being remembered that the traveling wheels 28 are fixedon the shafts 27 and that said shafts 27 are driven by their respectiveshafln 22 through the permanently intermeshed gears 25 and 26, it willbe understood that the traveling wheels 28 will be rotated 'when thedisks 20 are thrust and held against the gears 12 and will be permittedto remain at'rest when the disks 20 are drawn and held away from thegears 12.

As before stated the gears 12 are adapted to be moved by levers 18lengthwise of the shaft 11, and by so moving said gears 12 and changintheir positions relative to the centers of to disks 20-, the speed ofthe traveling drive wheels 28 can be varied. Again, w on the gears 12are moved across the centers of the disks 20 the direction of movementof the wheels 28 is reversed, but the same variations of speed areavailable as in the-first instance. Moreover, it is to be noted that thesaid construction constitutes positive driving connections for theindependent operatrionof the driving wheels 28, so that one wheel 28 maybe turned forwardly and the other backwardly to facilitate turning ofthe machine as on a pivot; also, that the three series of indentures ineach disk 20 afford positive driving connections at three differentspeeds forwardly or backwardly. I prefer to provide each disk with threeseries of indentures 21, but it is obvious that the number of the seriesmay be increased or diminished in the discretion of the manufacturer ofthe machine without affecting my invention.

Mounted on spindles carried by the body 1 and disposed in rear of thewheels 28 are traveling wheels 50, and mounted on the said wheels 28 and50 are caterpillar tractor belts 51. It will also be noticed that thewheels 28 and 50 are flanged, as indicated by 52 to enable them to holdto rails as 53 when it is desired to move the machine on a railwayinstead of on the ground.

For the purpose of moving the compound gears 12 relatively to thecenters of the disks 20 I provide the longitudinal rock shafts 54 whichextend throu h the rear wall of the body 1 and are rovi ed immediatelyback of said wall wit cranks 55 through the medium of which they may beturned about their axes; said cranks 55 being provided as. shown withmeans for adjustably fixing the shafts 54 toibody 1. At their forwardends said rock shafts are provided with arms56. These arms are connectedby pins 57 with the levers 18; the said pins bemg disposed and movablein slots 58 of the levers as illustrated.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. In a mining machine, the combination of a body, tractor wheels, amotor in the body, a transverse shaft connected with and driven b themotor, gears feathered on said shaft, s afts connected with the tractorwheels, disks feathered on said shafts and opposed to the gears, thrustbearings mounted on said shafts at the opposite sides of the disks, withreference to the ears, connections between said bearings an disks, meansextending to the rear of the bod for moving the gears, and means extenin to the rear of the body for moving sai thrust bearings.

2: in a miningmachine, the combination of a body, tractor wheels, a.motor in the body, a transverse shaft connected with and driven b themotor, gears feathered on said shaft, s afts oonnected with the tractorwheels, disks feathered on said shafts and opposed to the gears andhaving circular series of indentures in their faces, thrust bearingsmounted on said shafts at the 0pposite sides of the disks, withreference to the gears, connections between said bearings and disks,anti-friction means interposed between the bearings and disks, meansextending to the rear of the body for moving the gears, and meansextending to the rear of the body for moving said thrust bearings.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES A. BRANTLEY.

Witnesses:

J. S. Nmnoms, F. M. Fomn'.

Copies of this potent my be obtained for five cents each, by droning the"Commissioner of Patents, Wellington, D. 0."

